Don Bacon
RDefeatedIncumbentFEC H6NE02125
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Raised this cycle$1.5M
Cash on hand: $372K
2026 race
NE-02 — U.S. House
3 candidates on the November ballot. Incumbent: Don Bacon.
Read the record. Not the rhetoric.
See where these candidates stand — and who's funding them.
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How we got here · 2 earlier contests
Currently held by
Don Bacon (R) — not seeking re-election in 2026. They've publicly announced their retirement; their committee is still on the FEC's 2026 roster for routine compliance, but this is effectively an open seat.
Election held
Counting
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Results appear here once a race is called and verified. Official returns from the Nebraska Secretary of State.
Make sure you can vote
Disclosed money in race
$21M
Candidate + outside spending. See finance breakdown below.
Incumbent
Currently in office
Challengers
Sorted by fundraising
Denise Powell
DChallengerFEC H6NE02174
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Raised this cycle$5.1M
Cash on hand: $480K
Brinker Harding
RChallengerFEC H6NE02208
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Raised this cycle$2.9M
Cash on hand: $313K
Eric Michael Foreman
IChallengerFEC H6NE02273
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Raised this cycle—
Cash on hand: —
6 defeated candidates — show
John Cavanaugh
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02190
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Raised this cycle$1.4M
Cash on hand: $12K
Kishla Askins
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02224
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Raised this cycle$902K
Cash on hand: $0
James Leuschen
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02240
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Raised this cycle$394K
Cash on hand: $118K
Brett Lindstrom
RDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02216
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Raised this cycle$375K
Cash on hand: $0
Crystal Rhoades
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02257
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Raised this cycle$183K
Cash on hand: $112
Mark Edmund Johnston
DDefeatedChallengerFEC H6NE02166
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Raised this cycle$10K
Cash on hand: $0
Local signal
Early read on NE-02 — U.S. House
A directional read on where this seat is trending, from the signals we have so far. This is an early scaffold — more inputs light up as coverage and constituent activity accrue.
Coverage tone · the matchup
Recent news coverage of the nominees heading to the general election.
Denise Powellmixed
0 pos4 neutral0 neg4 articles
Brinker Hardingmixed
0 pos2 neutral0 neg2 articles
A media signal, not a poll of the district.
Constituent stakes
No one here has staked a position on a tracked vote yet. As neighbors weigh in on /pressure campaigns, the district's lean will show up here.
Money in the race
Finance breakdown
Disclosed funding shaping this race — both the money candidates raise themselves and the outside spending dropped by independent groups. Issue-ad spending by 501(c)(4) groups is excluded; the FEC doesn't require disclosure of it. See the note below for details.
Candidate fundraising: FEC reports through October 14, 2026 · 2025–26 cycle
Total disclosed
$21M
Candidate fundraising + independent expenditures (FEC).
Candidate-direct (Schedule A)
$13M
Raised by candidate committees themselves.
Outside spending (Schedule E)
$8.5M
$3.4M for · $5.1M against
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Denise Powell(D) + FIGHT FOR NEBRASKA PAC $1.3M + CHC BOLD PAC $577K + BOLD AMERICA $419K − CLF $1.4M | $5.1M | $3.1M | $1.4M | $6.8M |
Brinker Harding(R) − HMP $1.4M − LGBTQ CONNECTION PAC $16K − FIELD TEAM 6, INC. $448 | $2.9M | — | $1.4M | $1.5M |
Eric Michael Foreman(L) | $0 | — | — | $0 |
7 defeated candidates — show finances
| Candidate | Raised directly | Outside for | Outside against | Net in corner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Don Bacon(R)incumbentdefeated − YOUTH SAVE DEMOCRACY PAC $9K − ACTIVATE AMERICA $2K | $1.5M | — | $11K | $1.5M |
Kishla Askins(D)defeated | $902K | — | — | $902K |
James Leuschen(D)defeated | $394K | — | — | $394K |
Brett Lindstrom(R)defeated | $375K | — | — | $375K |
Crystal Rhoades(D)defeated | $183K | — | — | $183K |
Mark Edmund Johnston(D)defeated | $10K | — | — | $10K |
John Cavanaugh(D)defeated + CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS PAC $287K + SIERRA CLUB INDEPENDENT ACTION $10 − NEW DEMOCRAT MAJORITY $735K − FIGHT FOR NEBRASKA PAC $675K − LEAD LEFT PAC $435K | $1.4M | $287K | $2.3M | −$605K |
Where the money comes from
In-state vs out-of-state
Share of each candidate's itemized individual contributions from donors inside NE versus the rest of the country. Excludes sub-$200 unitemized donations (no geography on file) and PAC money — see note below.
Denise Powell(D)34% in-state · $1.8M itemized
$615K in-state$1.2M out-of-state
Brinker Harding(R)69% in-state · $1.6M itemized
$1.1M in-state$514K out-of-state
7 defeated candidates — show
Don Bacon(R)defeated20% in-state · $893K itemized
$178K in-state$715K out-of-state
Kishla Askins(D)defeated7% in-state · $315K itemized
$22K in-state$293K out-of-state
James Leuschen(D)defeated13% in-state · $357K itemized
$45K in-state$312K out-of-state
Brett Lindstrom(R)defeated97% in-state · $372K itemized
$359K in-state$13K out-of-state
Crystal Rhoades(D)defeated38% in-state · $111K itemized
$42K in-state$68K out-of-state
Mark Edmund Johnston(D)defeated20% in-state · $3K itemized
$500 in-state$2K out-of-state
John Cavanaugh(D)defeated53% in-state · $1.0M itemized
$532K in-state$480K out-of-state
What's counted, what isn't
Candidate-direct is each campaign's reported receipts on FEC Schedule A — individual contributions plus PAC contributions to the candidate's own committee — through the most recent filing.
Outside spending is independent expenditures on FEC Schedule E: money spent by PACs, super PACs, and party committees for or against a candidate, without legal coordination with the campaign. The committees listed under each candidate are the largest disclosed spenders on either side.
In-state vs out-of-state covers only itemized individual contributions — donations over $200, which are the only ones that carry a contributor address at the FEC. Sub-$200 unitemized donations (often a large share for grassroots campaigns) have no geography on file and are excluded, as is PAC money. So the percentages describe where a candidate's itemized individual money comes from, not where every dollar raised comes from.
Not counted: 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organizations run issue ads that frequently mention candidates by name but aren't classified as express advocacy under FEC rules — they file no Schedule E and don't appear in this breakdown. Press reporting on a race may cite figures that include this dark-money spending; ours doesn't.
Where they stand
Issue-by-issue comparison
Positions extracted from each candidate's campaign issues page by AI. Contested rows — where candidates disagree with each other — appear first.
| Statement | Powell | Harding | Foreman | You |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abortion A national law should protect access to abortion in every state. | — | |||
Criminal Justice The federal government should send more money to local police departments. | — | |||
Healthcare A government-run public health insurance option should be added to the ACA marketplace. | — | |||
Immigration People who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children should have a path to citizenship. | — | |||
Immigration The U.S. should do more to enforce immigration laws and secure the border. | — | |||
Governance & Other There should be term limits for senators and representatives. | — | |||
Governance & Other Outside political spending — from PACs and super PACs — should be limited more strictly. | — | |||
Abortion Each state should set its own abortion laws. | — | |||
Abortion Access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments should be protected by federal law. | — | |||
Abortion Access to contraception should be guaranteed by federal law in all states (Right to Contraception Act). | — | |||
Antitrust & Competition Federal antitrust laws should be strengthened to break up dominant technology platforms. | — | |||
Criminal Justice Marijuana should be legal under federal law. | — | |||
Criminal Justice Federal law should allow individuals to sue police officers for civil-rights violations even when officers claim qualified immunity. | — | |||
Economy The federal minimum wage should be raised. | — | |||
Economy Reducing the national debt should be a higher priority than new spending. | — | |||
Economy The expanded child tax credit (refundable, paid monthly) should be made permanent. | — | |||
Economy The federal government should require employers to provide paid family and medical leave. | — | |||
Education Parents should be able to use public funds — through vouchers — to send their kids to private or charter schools. | — | |||
Education The government should forgive some federal student loan debt. | — | |||
Education Education policy should be set by states, not the federal Department of Education. | — | |||
Foreign Policy The U.S. should spend more on the military. | — | |||
Foreign Policy Conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel — tied to humanitarian or human-rights compliance — should be strengthened. | — | |||
Guns All gun sales — including private ones — should require a background check. | — | |||
Guns Federal law should authorize court-issued red-flag orders allowing temporary firearm removal from people deemed a danger. | — | |||
Healthcare Medicare should be allowed to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. | — | |||
Healthcare Enhanced ACA premium subsidies should be made permanent at expanded levels. | — | |||
Housing The government should spend more building affordable housing. | — | |||
Immigration The U.S. should allow more legal immigration each year. | — | |||
Judicial Reform Supreme Court justices should be bound by a binding code of ethics enforceable by Congress. | — | |||
Labor Federal labor law should make it easier for workers to form unions (PRO Act-style reforms). | — |
Showing top 30 of 36 questions with extracted positions.
SupportsOpposesNo public positionRinged = confirmed by the campaign
Recent coverage
In the news
Denise Powell
- Outgoing Republican rep suggests Trump should not be leader of GOP if he loses big in midtermsNew York PostNov 2
- Bill and Hillary Clinton make eleventh-hour midterm moves as party's old guard faces new realityFox NewsOct 15
- 2026 midterm election races to watchCBS NewsSep 13
- At the Races: Defiant in DallasRoll CallSep 10
About this race page
Candidate roster is sourced from the FEC's active-candidate list for the 2026 cycle. Fundraising totals reflect committee filings through the last reporting period.
Alignment % compares the candidate's extracted policy positions against your quiz answers. Positions are pulled from the candidate's campaign issues page by AI; we save the source quote for each position so you can verify the extraction. Candidates without a campaign issues page show position data pending — we're working through the roster and re-checking stale extractions every 90 days.
News coverage is from the GDELT 2.0 global news feed, filtered to a curated list of national, political, and regional outlets.